Kitchen storage is a priority item in home renovations, according to the 2021 U.S. Houzz Kitchen Trends Study. The survey of more than 2,000 U.S. homeowners using Houzz who are in the midst of, are planning, or recently completed a kitchen renovation, found that nearly all renovations included some work on cabinets (94 percent), with most replacing all cabinets (63 percent). Of the one-third of homeowners who opt for partial cabinet upgrades, more than a quarter add at least some cabinets to their newly renovated kitchen (28 percent), nearly four times as many as the previous year.

The percentage of homeowners adding or upgrading a pantry space also grew, with nearly half of homeowners upgrading pantry cabinets and one in eight adding a walk-in pantry (46 and 13 percent, respectively), both up three percentage points from the previous year. Not all major features saw an increase in demand compared to the previous year, in fact, upgrades to light fixtures and appliances declined (74 and 51 percent in 2020, versus 79 and 56 percent in 2019, respectively). 

The median spend on major kitchen remodels, in which all of the cabinets and appliances are replaced, is $35,000, whereas median spend for all other minor remodels is $8,000. Homeowners renovating their kitchens are overwhelmingly choosing custom or semi-custom cabinetry (76 percent). Shaker-style and white cabinet doors continue to be the leading choices despite having fallen in favor by five percentage points each since last year (57 and 41 percent in 2020, versus 63 and 46 percent in 2019, respectively). 

Cabinetry in renovated kitchens is often equipped with built-in specialty organizers, drawers or trays. The most popular organizers are for cookie sheets and spices (48 and 39 percent, respectively), while the most common specialty drawers are pullout waste or recycling drawers (60 percent). More than a third of kitchen renovations include specialty shelving trays, such as revolving trays, otherwise known as Lazy Susans, and pullout or swing-out trays (38 and 34 percent, respectively), making deep or hard-to-reach spaces more accessible.

“Storage has really come into focus as people have spent more time at home during the pandemic,” said Liza Hausman, Houzz vice president of Industry Marketing. “We’re seeing an increase in the amount of cabinetry added in renovations, and more homeowners are reaching out to professionals on Houzz for help making their kitchens work better, most often within the same layout and square footage.” 

You can download the full 2021 U.S. Houzz Kitchen Trends Study here.